Ayrshire Scotland Business News is provided by the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire. We publicise our members, and celebrate and report the wealth and rich diversity of entrepreneurial and business excellence that abounds here in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland. For further information e-mail Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

Wednesday, 25 November 2015

As a long standing member of the Conservative Party, Winifred Sloan held different political offices at local and national level, before being elected to the Kyle and Carrick District Council in 1992.

South Ayrshire Council was established in 1996 with Councillor Sloan representing the Ayr East Ward.

In 2006, Councillor Sloan was elected Provost by fellow councillors, which was a role she carried out until May 2012.

During her term of office, Winifred was the Council’s Veterans Champion and was heavily involved with the Armed Forces, being one of the founders of Veterans First Point Ayrshire. Even after she retired from Council, Winifred continued to be very active in the community, was Vice Dean of Ayr Guildry and was actively involved with Headway Ayrshire.

Councillor Bill McIntosh, Leader of South Ayrshire Council has said: “We are all saddened to hear of Winifred’s passing, and our thoughts are with her family at this time. Winifred was a tireless advocate for the people of her ward and also an outstanding ambassador for South Ayrshire. She will be sadly missed, but fondly remembered.”

Ayr Racecourse stages its first December meeting since 2009 on Monday 21 December with the seven race Christmas Party Raceday.

[Pictured: Final Assault wins at a recent Ayr Racecourse meeting. The Lucinda Russell trained horse could be in action again at Ayr on Monday 21 December.]

The action gets under way at 12.25pm with the Racing UK Winter Season Ticket Maiden Hurdle over two miles and continues until the finale, the Racing UK Standard National Hunt Flat Race at 3.30pm.

Highlight of the afternoon is the Watch Racing UK Today Just £10 Handicap Hurdle over two miles five furlongs due off at 3.00pm. This Class 3 contest should attract a big field with leading trainers including Lucinda Russell, Nicky Richards and Jim Goldie all likely to be represented.

Top jockeys in action should include Brian Hughes, Brian Harding, Craig Nichol and Peter Buchanan. Simply call 01292 264179 or go to www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk for more details.

For further information please contact Iain Ferguson on 01292 294972 or 07795 565691.

Ayr Racecourse and the associated Western House Hotel are Founder Members of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle.

Tuesday, 24 November 2015

UK energy policy has been described as ‘inconsistent, incoherent and ineffectual’ by Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing at a major energy conference.

Mr Ewing (pictured above) made the comments as he accused UK Government of failing to meet its objectives and jeopardising energy security at the International Tidal Energy Summit in London.

Mr Ewing said: “Last week the UK Government made a ‘dash for gas’ to replace the UK’s ageing nuclear and coal plants, a belated recognition of the UK’s energy crunch. While UK energy policy continues to increase bills and weaken security of supply, the Secretary of State’s new approach is inconsistent, incoherent and will be ultimately ineffectual.

“Inconsistent, as the approach is to build new capacity at the lowest cost and let the market decide which technologies prevail, but skews incentives towards more gas and nuclear power.

“Incoherent, as it rules out support for proven, cheap technologies like onshore wind and solar.

“And it will be ineffectual - we urgently need to tackle the parlous state of affairs that has allowed the capacity margin to dwindle to one per cent, yet there are still delays to bringing on new capacity, including the development of renewables in Scotland.

“Capacity margins will worsen when Scotland’s largest power station, Longannet, closes prematurely next year due to unfair transmission charges.

“Scotland is an energy rich country and the ideal base for exploiting our natural resources such as wave and tidal. The largest planned tidal development project in the world, Meygen in the Pentland Firth, will power 175,000 homes when complete. Orkney developer Scotrenewables has almost finished building its two Megawatt floating tidal turbine, while Edinburgh-based Nova innovation is in the process of installing five turbines as part of the Shetland Tidal Array.

“Marine energy has made huge advances in the last two decades and its development needs continued support, not least the face of worrying evidence that the UK is going to miss its EU renewables targets.

“The UK Government must change its course to provide more certainty for investment in new technologies and ensuring the next capacity market auction does more to bring new, clean power generation forward.”

THE EDITORThe Editor of Ayrshire Scotland Business News is Murdoch MacDonald, a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge University, where his journalistic contemporaries included John Simpson, now World Affairs Editor with the BBC, and Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the Guardian. Murdoch MacDonald has been in the public relations industry and a freelance journalist and broadcaster for more than 35 years.He has handled the PR accounts of many top Scottish companies, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Life, John Menzies, Kwik-Fit and Barratt Homes.

He has hosted his own family finance programmes - "£s, Pence and Sense" on Radio Forth and "Moneywise" on Scottish Television.He now runs Ayrshire’s top PR consultancy Fame Publicity Services.

Wherever you are in the world, no other public relations consultancy, PR firm or publicity company can offer you a better or more cost-effective worldwide news distribution service, combined with search engine optimisation techniques that will drive customers and qualified sales leads to your company's website.

Murdoch MacDonald is also managing director of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire.Telephone: 01292 281498E-mail: Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

Murdoch and his wife Lilian (pictured above) have written a book called "Phoenix in a Bottle", describing how they overcame alcoholism and are now, contrary to conventional wisdom, able to drink alcohol responsibly again. "Phoenix in a Bottle" is published by Melrose Books price £16.99 and is now available worldwide.Reviewing the book, eminent American addiction expert Dr Stanton Peele PhD commented:

“Phoenix in a Bottle is a modern version of The Days of Wine and Roses, and tells the true story of how two people who entered a period of desperate drinking stayed with one another in a close loving relationship, and emerged from their alcoholism able to drink responsibly again.

“Both a wonderful love story and a challenge to conventional wisdom about how people can recover from drinking problems, Phoenix in a Bottle gives people hope, and helps them to confront their own demons - alcohol or otherwise.”

And now "Phoenix in a Bottle" has been selected as a set text by a top American university.

“Phoenix in a Bottle” by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald will now be required reading for all doctoral students in a psychology programme at Alliant International University in San Diego, California.

Alliant International University, headquartered in San Diego and San Francisco, California, was formed in 2001 by the merger of the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and the United States International University. Alliant has 6 campuses throughout California and also runs programmes in Mexico City, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant is one of the premier psychology schools in the US, and it counts roughly half the licensed clinical psychologists in California as its alumni.

Dr. Gary W. Lawson is Professor of Psychology at CSPP. He says: “I adopted Phoenix in a Bottle because the dilemma this couple struggled with and the questions they ask themselves are like so many others I have encountered in 35 years of clinical experience treating addictions.“However, nowhere in addiction literature have I seen these issues examined and explained as well as Lilian and Murdoch do in Phoenix in a Bottle.“I also recommend Phoenix in a Bottle to many of my patients as well.”

You can buy "Phoenix in a Bottle" by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald online now direct from Amazon UK (click on book cover image below).